ATRs deserve our support

To the Editor:

This school year I’ve met a number of teachers assigned temporarily as ATRs to my school.

In some ways, they are like the forgotten souls of our schools and our union. They worked hard and committed themselves to public school students and now are in a position where they lack connectedness to the schools where they are assigned, and their expertise isn’t valued as it once was before their former schools were shuttered.

I think it’s really important for those of us fortunate enough to be teaching full time to reach out to our colleagues assigned to the ATR pool. I think simply being welcoming, saying hello, and introducing one’s self is important.

Even if it’s for only one or two weeks, they are part of our schools and deserve the respect and the dignity they’ve earned as veteran teachers.

David Hanna, University Neighborhood HS, Manhattan